Necropolis

In Necropolis, the third novel in the Gaunt's Ghosts series, the Tanith First and Only are among a task force diverted to the planet Verghast, where a vast hive city is threatened by the forces of Chaos. Vervunhive is no mere arcology but virtually an entire city state enclosed in a single stupendous building, now under siege by hordes of foes. Dan Abnett depicts the horrors of future war with grim relish, and I found myself compulsively turning the pages, late at night, wanting to find out who survives and who doesn't. Another nightmarishly readable novel in an excellent series.

Taken place on the Hive world of Necromunda, Gaunts Ghosts must again face the threat of Chaos on the front lines. I've recently purchased the entire Ghosts series and am reading them in order, this is debatably the best of the first three. Characters like Milo, Bragg, Larkin and a few others have "evolved" a bit since the founding. Additionally the ending is absolutely magnificent and shocking for the future of the Ghosts.

It is in Dan Abnett's third installment of his well-done Gaunt's Ghosts Saga that he finally hits his stride. In Necropolis, Colonel-Commissar Ibrahim Gaunt and his Tanith First and Only Regiment are thrown into the meat-grinder type of warfare seen when fought within a city. The hive city in question is Vervunhive and Gaunt and his men must help protect and save the city from a rival hive-city that has fallen under the sway of Chaos. This massive civil war takes a large toll on the men of Tanith. The political backstabbing seen in Ghostmaker is continued in Necropolis, some of the jealousy and scheming of rival Imperial Guard commanders having a detrimental and deadly effect on the outcome of certain battles for Vervunhive. One reviewer has compared Necropolis as a fictional and scifi account of the Battle of Stalingrad. I must agree with this comparison, but I must also point out that it also share some similarities with the siege of Moscow during World War Two. In fact, any battle fought in the Eastern Front could substitute for what occurs within the pages of Necropolis. Abnett's writing style has improved with this installment and part of this may be that he has become comfortable with the characters and their motivations. Abnett's becoming one of the premiere writers thats come out of the Black Library branch of Games Workshop. Here's to hoping he continues writing more books about Gaunt and his Ghosts.

While I enjoy the space marine novels better, the Gaunt's ghosts series has not disappointed me yet. Necropolis had alot going for it; large scale warfare, squad combat, personalizing the characters to the point you either like or dislike them, and it follows a good storyline.

Out of all the gaunts novels, this was without a question, the best to come.